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About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add... (More)

About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in addition to writing editorials for more than 15 years. I have served as a director of many non-profits in the Valley and the broader Bay Area and currently serve as chair of Teen Esteem and on the advisory board of Shepherd?s Gate. I also served as founding chair of Heart for Africa and have travelled to Africa seven times to serve on mission trips. My wife, Betty Gail, has taught at Amador Valley High (from where we both graduated) since 1981. She and I both graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, as did both of my parents and my three siblings. Given that Cal tradition, our daughter went south to the University of Southern California and graduated with a degree in international relations. Since graduation, she has taken three mission trips and will be serving in the Philippines for nine months starting in September. (Hide)

Newspapers say no to Pete

Uploaded: May 8, 2012

With the June election less than a month away and absentee ballots in the mail, campaigns are cranking up.
For 20-term (yes, that's right, 40 years) Congressman Pete Stark, the news wasn't good. Both the San Francisco Chronicle and the Bay Area News Group (whose local newspapers cover his turf) recommended voters elect his opponent, Dublin City Councilman and Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Eric Swalwell.
The Democrat Party long ago committed to standing fast for its ineffective octogenarianit will be interesting to see what voters do next month.

THE SAME GOES when it comes to the only two propositions on the ballot.
One deals with yet another substantial increase of the tobacco taxone of the so-called sin taxes that various groups love to target for tax increases through initiatives. Given that smokers make up only about 20 percent of the population, it's likely to pass because nobody else has skin in the game.
It's reminiscent of one of the earlier hikes in the tobacco tax that funneled money to programs for children from in the womb to five. Just what nexus there was between tobacco use and that age group remains a mystery to this day, but voters bought it.
Whether voters will buy Proposition 28 on term limits for legislators is another interesting question. There's significant money from tobacco companies against Prop. 29, there's little money in the Prop. 28 campaign.
It would reduce the number of years a legislator could serve in the state houses from 14 to 12 years, but allow all of that time to be spent in one house.
Given the circus that term limits have created in Californiathe further rise of the 3rd Housethe lobbyistsand the lack of knowledge for most legislatorsthere's some merit to the proposal.
Term limits, in terms of quality efforts to deal with major issues in Sacramento, have been a disaster. Yes, it was great to see Willie Brown go back to Sacramento, but I defy anyone to say it is better in Sacramento today. In the days of Willie Brown and Republican Bill Baker, they could cut a budget deal and deliver it with benefits for both parties.
Nothing similar happens today. Come June, Gov. Brown and the Democrats will pass a budget with a majority vote that will rely on the governor and his union buddies being able to sell tax increases to Californians on the November ballot. If it fails, significant mid-year cuts will be required by school districts across the state.
Would it have made more sense on the June ballotyou betbut turnout will be way down and the Democrats need the President Obama supporters to show up to have a chance of passing it. Current polling doesn't look good.

Posted by SteveP,
a resident of Parkside,
on May 8, 2012 at 8:34 amSteveP is a registered user.

Stark has turned out to be a victim of his own blunders (much like Lockyer and Hayashi). He has no one to blame but himself and no apparent physical ailments to explain his incoherent ramblings.
He should take the high road and just retire to Maryland, if he had any self respect left (unlike Hayashi). Time for some new blood, even if it is another member of the democrat party.